Candidates Tournament 2013

[Andrew Bak]

The biggest problem with spending £25 or £30 on this event is I have no idea what I am getting!

I can't tell (unless I am missing something obvious) What the facilities are, events, commentators etc. The most I have been able to glean is that your money doesn't even guarantee you a seat - you may have to 'wait a while' for one!

If I'm just being thick, I would be grateful if someone could point me to the correct part of the site. But If I can't find it, I bet a lot of others can't.

I agree with all of this, I was considering going but sadly I'm not convinced about how well organised the tournament will be from a paying spectator's perspective.

The London Chess Classic sets the standard, perhaps globally, for spectators for top-class chess events. Unfortunately it seems that this Candidates is not yet anywhere near this level.

[Roger de Coverly]

I agree with all of this, I was considering going but sadly I'm not convinced about how well organised the tournament will be from a paying spectator's perspective.

There's a premise that live (as in present at the venue) spectators are unimportant and that what matters are the tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, millions watching online.

There's certainly a niche market for chess tourists and chess spectators. How much it's worth and the volume of fans is uncertain.

[Graham Borrowdale]

The biggest problem with spending £25 or £30 on this event is I have no idea what I am getting!

I can't tell (unless I am missing something obvious) What the facilities are, events, commentators etc. The most I have been able to glean is that your money doesn't even guarantee you a seat - you may have to 'wait a while' for one!

If I'm just being thick, I would be grateful if someone could point me to the correct part of the site. But If I can't find it, I bet a lot of others can't.

I must also agree with this. However important the event, £25 is a lot of money to pay up front to an unproven organiser who is clearly prepared to sell more tickets than there are seats in the auditorium. While that may work for an event like the London Classic where lots of spectators will gravitate to the commentary room or watch the side events for a bit, it will not work for the Candidates unless there is a commentary room, and nothing has been announced.
I hope the event is a success, and I wish the organisers luck, but I remain unconvinced to shell out just yet.

[Leonard Barden]

<Another Grand Prix Stage is Cancelled. This Time in Lisbon

Monday, 11.03.2013 15:01

Silvio Danailov has tweeted the information according to which another Grand Prix stage is cancelled.

<Gran Prix in Lisbon also cancelled. AGON(Y) is about to finish. (https://twitter.com/SilvioDanailov/...)>

Earlier the ECU president informed about the cancellation of Madrid stage. FIDE hasn't published any official announcements yet.

Let us remind you the participants had to compete in Lisbon from April 17th to May 1st, the Madrid stage was scheduled to take place from May 22nd to June 4th.>

Taken together with Malcolm's tweet, the above suggests that a pattern is developing of rapid financial retrenchment by Agon. Lisbon was scheduled to start only 16 days after the end of the candidates.

[Leonard Barden]

...and now there is a new website, set up not by Agon but by Fide

http://london2013.fide.com

[Jonathan Bryant]

...and now there is a new website, set up not by Agon but by Fide

http://london2013.fide.com

Indeed. Malc's tweets today are even more worrying. Last minute budgetting problems arising (how exactly?), reduced Agon input. A rather curious development.

It's almost as if all that puff about Paulson being the saviour of the chess world is going to turn out to be cobblers. As if *that* has ever happened before.

[Roger de Coverly]

reduced Agon input. A rather curious development.

Is the post by PJM on the Streatham blog of relevance?
http://www.streathambrixtonchess.blogsp ... eting.html

Presumably when the first round starts on Friday, we'll know what the facilities for both live and internet spectators will actually be. The tweets by Malcolm seemed to imply just the one commentator. I know that Chris Ward at Hastings and Andrew Martin at the British do solo sessions, but for broadcasts to a wider audience, having at least two voices and faces works better.

Given the issues with internet capacity that we've seen at other events with live video coverage, if there are budget issues, it might not be possible to receive the commentary anyway.

[Jonathan Bryant]

reduced Agon input. A rather curious development.

Is the post by PJM on the Streatham blog of relevance?
http://www.streathambrixtonchess.blogsp ... eting.html.

Much as I like to dream of our massive power and influence, I fear that the suggestion that one critical blog post is enough to spark a billionaire's fainting fit (if such it is), or anything at all for that matter, is rather fanciful. To put it mildly.

[Roger de Coverly]

Much as I like to dream of our massive power and influence, I fear that the suggestion that one critical blog post is enough to spark a billionaire's fainting fit (if such it is), or anything at all for that matter, is rather fanciful. To put it mildly.

For several months, there have been promises of a revolutionary approach to coverage of chess events, not least in pieces written by Malcolm Pein. I could imagine what was shown to PJM was part of this. Will anything new materialise? I suppose we find out on Friday.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

...and now there is a new website, set up not by Agon but by Fide

http://london2013.fide.com

To be fair, at the bottom of that it says:

Tickets are available for all the rounds and may be pruchased [sic]] here:

http://worldchess.com/candidates/tickets.html

And that is where I got my ticket from (I was happy to buy as the tickets are dealt with through a ticketing agency):

http://www.crowdsurge.com/

Of course, that's no guarantee of what will be provided, but that did reassure me a bit.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

There's certainly a niche market for chess tourists and chess spectators. How much it's worth and the volume of fans is uncertain.

I suspect interest from that side of things will build. I was at a chess match last night and was looking at the piece in the Guardian by Stephen Moss with some of the players there, and I was foolish enough to show one of them (a team mate of mine) my printed copy of the pairings listing. He promptly 'borrowed' it ( ) and seems all set to go and buy tickets. Some people will just be excited to see the chess live, even if only for one game.

[John Brewitt]

Well it's too late now, we've already got the train tickets to travel to see round 9 on the 25th of March. This thread has me really worried about what facilities will be available at this event.

The London Chess Classic is a very tough act to follow. I hope this event can get somewhere near being as good, though I'm having serious doubts that it will. I'd be grateful if someone would report on their findings when the event gets underway.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Well it's too late now, we've already got the train tickets to travel to see round 9 on the 25th of March. This thread has me really worried about what facilities will be available at this event.

The London Chess Classic is a very tough act to follow. I hope this event can get somewhere near being as good, though I'm having serious doubts that it will. I'd be grateful if someone would report on their findings when the event gets underway.

I've presumed that the picture shown here is where the chess will be held:

http://www.worldchess.com/candidates/london.html

Admittedly, that may be ann unwarranted presumption.

Looking here gives an idea of the rooms at the IET:

http://savoyplace.theiet.org/rooms/index.cfm

The Lecture Theatre seats 462 when set up in theatre layout:

http://savoyplace.theiet.org/rooms/theatre/index.cfm

The Riverside Room (with the view used on the worldchess.com webpage) seats 220 theatre style:

http://savoyplace.theiet.org/rooms/riverside/index.cfm

I'm presuming the event will be held in the Lecture Theatre, maybe removing the central seating (if it can be removed) and having the chess tables and players there. But I guess we will find out on Friday.

[Jonathan Bryant]

Taken together with Malcolm's tweet, the above suggests that a pattern is developing of rapid financial retrenchment by Agon ....

More strangeness:

I'm pretty sure I retweeted Malc this morning. One where he said that he was glad the candidates' were going ahead but AGON's involvement was now reduced and FIDE had taken over the website.

All the other tweets are still there. This one seems to have been deleted.

[Andrew Camp]

So, are we to conclude that Andrew Paulson was full of s**t?

*I have not read the entire thread due to idleness*